Recording instrument



Feb. 10, 1931. w. s. RUGG RECORDING INSTRUMENT Original Filed Sept INVENTOR War/fer 5 A??? WITNESSES: 4 1 W ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 10, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WALTER S. RUGG, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA RECORDING INSTRUMENT Application filed September 18, 1924, Serial No. 737,511. Renewed April 26, 1928.

My invention relates to recording instruments and particularly to electrical instruments for recording steep-wave-front voltage surges.

The object of my invention is to provide an instrument of the above indicated character that shall more economically and effectively utilize the space on a record chart than instruments of similar character heretofore suggested.

In the copending application of J. F. Peters, Serial, No. 680,569, filed December 13, 1923, and in copending application of J. W. Legg, Serial No. 727,040, filed July 19, 1924, and assigned to the Westinghouse Electric A: Mfg. Company are set forth instruments for recording steep-wave-front voltage surges, according to the principles of which my invention operates and to which reference may be had for a better understanding of my invention.

In the application ofJ. F. Peters one of the features is a revolving photographic plate or record chart which cooperates with a sta tionary electrode or recording element to effect successive records of steep-wave-front voltage surges thereon.

In the other application that of J. W; Legg, this feature is improved by having the plate or chart stationary and the recording element movable,,as fully pointed out in the application.

However, in the devices of both of the aforementioned applications, the recording element describes a single circular path about an axis through the chart and, therefore, does not utilize the chart area inside said path.

7 It is my aim to more effectively utilize the record+chart surface area by causing the chart and the recording element to move relatively so that the recording path of the element on the chart is either spiral or consists of concentric circles of different diameters.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings, is a View, partially in side elevation and partially in section, of 'a surge recorder constructed in accordance with my invention, and i a fig. 2 is a bottom view, taken along the line II-II of Fig. 1.

The device embodying my invention comprises, in general, a light-proof casing 1, a motor device or clockwork mechanism 2 dis posed therein, a rotatable member or insulat, ing disk 3 for actuation by the mechanism 2,

an electrode or recording element 4 carried The clockwork mechanism 2, of a usual form, is preferably suitably secured to the top-wall member 14 of the casing l and provided with an arbor 19 having a flanged portion 20 and a stud portion 21. A disk 23 is frictionally held against the flange 20 around the stud 21 by a spring washer 24 or similar device that is held in position by nuts 25 on the stud 21. The disk 3 is secured to the disk 23 byscrews 27 and spaced therefrom by a ring or sleeve 28.

The disk 3 is provided, on its under surface adjacent to the perimeter thereof, with scaledivision marks 30 that correspond to divisions of the diurnal period. A standard 31 depending from the top-Wall member 14 carries an index or pointer 32 beneath the disk 3 for co-operation with the scale 30.

The electrode 4 comprises a conducting tube 34 that is preferably bent inwardly at its ends and fixed to the disk 3 to rotate therewith. A recording element or pin 35 has portions of different diameters to provide a shoulder 36, in the tube 34 that limits movement of the element 35 in one direction relative to the longitudinal axis of the tube 3 An adjustable nut 37 on the element 35 limits movement of the latter in the opposite direction. The element 35 is loosely mounted in the tube 34 to move in one direction or the other along the axis of the tube 34 in response 'to gravity.

The plate holder 10, which constitutes a unitary structure removable from operative position through an opening 39 in the casing 1, comprises, in general, a base plate 40, a frame member 41, a. grounded sheet 46 of flexible conducting material and a pad 47 of yieldable material, as fully described in the above-mentioned copending application, Serial No, 727,040. The pad 47 is adapted to uniformly press the grounded conducting sheet 46 against the underside of a glass plate 44 that is sensitized on its upper surface for co-operation with the element 35. The sensitized plate 44 is initially provided, as by the use of a suitable template with chronological markings for co-operation with the marks 30 on the disk 3.

The electrode 4 is adapted to move radially with respect to the axis of the arbor 19, in a slot 50 in the disk 3, and is carried by a travcling nutfil that is mounted on a screw 52. The latter extends between the sleeve 28, in which it is journal-ed, and a bearing member 53 adjacentto the outer perimeter of the disk 3 on which the bearing member is mounted.

The annular member 8, which is connected to the terminal member 7, as by a bracket v55, may be provided on its underside with one or more depending projections. or teeth for co-operation with a gear wheel 56 orsimilar member fixed to the screw 52. Additional support for the annular member 8 may be provided by standards 57 secured to the top wall 14, similarly to the index standard 31.

l Vith only one depending projection or gear tooth on the annular member 8, when the disk 3 rotates, the recording element will describe a circle of fixed radius until the wheel 56 engages the single depending tooth on the member 8, whereupon the screw 52 will be turned to move the travelin nut 51 and the recording element 4 a predetermined step inwardly along the slot 50. Thisoperati'on sets the element'35 to describe a new circle about the axis of the arbor 19 and, upon the completion of this circle, the electrode 4 will be again stepped inwardly along the slot 50 and so on. Thus, the electrode 4 will describe a succession of smaller circles onthe sensitized plate 44 to more eitectively utilize'the recording area of the latter.

It two or more equally spaced depending teeth are providedon the annular member 8, the element 4 willbe moved inwardly a corresponding nun'iber of times for each revolution about the axis of t is arbor 19. Thus, if the member 8 be constructed as an annular gear or rack having a continuous succession of teeth for engagement with the gear wheel 56, the electrode will be moved in a spiral path on the surface of the sensitized plate 44 about the axis of the arbor 19;

In operation, the instrument is initially inverted to permit the element35 to fall, by gravity, out'ot the path along'which the plate holder 10 is to be received. In'this position, the disk 3 is in full view and readily accessible to permit its adjustment to place any desired one of the marks 30 into register with the index 32, thus setting the-device to begin operation at the desired time. The plate holder 10, carrying the sensitized plate 44, is then inserted through the opening 39 and the instrument, as a whole returned to its normal operating position, whereupon the element 35 falls by gravity against the sensitized plate 1 0t ier ways, such as that shown in copending application Serial No. 727,040, above referred to. v

44, after the removal of a usual opaque slide cc t cket 55, it may suitably be connected in While I have shown and described one torm o of my invention, various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, I desire therefore that only such limitations shall be placed thereon as are imposed by the prior art.

I claim as my invention? 1. A surge recorder comprising relatively rotatable members, an electrode mounted on one oi said members for cooperation with a sensitized chart on the other, a motive device for effecting relative rotation of said members, an element stationarily related to one of said members, and means cooperating between said electrode and said element for moving the electrode radially relative to the axis of rotation of the relatively rotatable members in response to relative rotation thereof. r

2. A surgerecorder comprising relatively movable members, an electrode mounted on one of said members for cooperationwith a sensitized chart on the other,a motive device for efiecting relative movement of said members, an element stationarily related to one or" said members, and means cooperating between said electrode and said element formoving the electrode transversely to the di rection of relative movement between said members in response to movement of one of said members. 1

v 3. A surge recorder comprising relatively movable members, an electrode holder mounted on one of said members,an electrode held by said holder to restby gravity on a sensi tized chart on the other of said members, a motive device for eflecting relative movement of said members, an element stationarily related to one of said members, and means cooperating between said holder and said element for moving the electrode transversely to the direction of movement of the relatively movable members in response to movement of one of said members.

4:. A recording instrument comprising a rotatable structure including a radially-extending screw shaft, a stylus structure including a traveling nut portion on said shaft, and means for rotating both said rotatable structure and means controlled by said rotatable structure for intermittently rotating said shaft.

5. A recording instrument comprising a rotatable structure including a radially-extend ing screw shaft, a stylus structure including a traveling nut portion on said shaft, means for actuating said rotatable structure and stationary means cooperating with said shaft to turn the same in response to movement of said rotatable structure.

6. A recording instrument comprising a rotatable structure including a radiall -extending screw shaft, a stylus structure including a traveling nut portion on said shaft, and a gear wheel member on the shaft, means for actuating said rotatable structure, and a stationary gear member cooperating with said first gear wheel member to turn said shaft in response to movement of said rotatable structure.

7. A surge recorder comprising a stationary record chart, a rotatable recording element for recording steep-wave-front voltage surges thereon, a motive device for rotating the element, a stationary member, and means connected to the element and oo-operating with the stationary member to move the element radially relative to its axis of rotation in response to its rotative movement.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 10th day of September,

WALTER S. RUGG. 

